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From: mmoss@csws1.ic.sunysb.edu (Matthew D Moss)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: object location in three-space
Message-ID: <1990Dec20.022322.19671@sbcs.sunysb.edu>
Date: 20 Dec 90 02:23:22 GMT
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Originator: mmoss@csws1.ic.sunysb.edu


In a previous article, I wrote.....

> (* FLAME ON! *)

Maybe I was a bit hasty......

Sorry for the flame. I should also have been more specific in my article
description last time. Let me rephrase it, since I seem to be getting
varying responses.



I will be working on writing a program for a computer, which will require
the position, velocity, and acceleration (all vectors) of a point in
space, over time.

The general idea I had was to place three detectors around the room. With
some sort of object attached to a stick or something, the detectors would
send out their pulses (or whatever).

The time between the pulse and the echo would then be passed through a
A/D converter, into the computer via port, and the computer would handle
the calculations (intersection of three spheres for position, then dividing
by time intervals for velocity and acceration).

In this manner, I hoper to get all nine components (3 for position, etc...).


The question I really want to pose is: what are the best kind of components
for such a project?

Other considerations:	I want to be able to handle much more than one
			freely-moving object. Is this a lot more detectors,
			or a better computer routine?

			This is a undergraduate project to be completed my
			senior year. Right now I am a sophomore. Someone
			quoted me a price of some components to be 5-10 K.
			Hopefully there is a way to do this for much much
			much less than $5000.


The closest thing I saw was a microphone set-up with a computer-controlled
spark plug. Creating the spark generated enough sound to be picked up, and
so on...

I would rather keep e project very silent, and the object to be moved around
free of wires (i.e., a self-contained circuit).

Hope that clears up the question. :)

--------------------------

Matthew D Moss
mmoss@libserv1.ic.sunysb.edu

"I pink therefore I spam....."

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